The quarterback drama that played out throughout the 2025 NFL Draft certainly had to entertain the Kansas City Chiefs. There were twists, and turns, and plenty of questionable decisions made on this class of signal-callers, but the Chiefs thankfully had zero need to get in on the action with Patrick Mahomes as the starter and a new veteran backup behind him in Gardner Minshew.
However, the journeyman Minshew isn't a guarantee to work out, and there's no clear No. 3 yet with two unproven QBs fighting for that job in Bailey Zappe and Chris Oladokun.
That means this area of the roster could see some changes before the regular season kicks off. And as it just so happens, Kansas City appears to be considering adding even more competition at quarterback in the coming weeks.
Former Southeast Missouri quarterback Paxton DeLaurent accepted a rookie minicamp invitation from the four-time Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs following the 2025 NFL Draft. Congratulations Paxton‼️ pic.twitter.com/IYBo7yT2tX
— SEMO Football (@SEMOfootball) April 27, 2025
Paxton DeLaurent, who didn't hear his name called in Green Bay, has accepted an invite to the Chiefs' upcoming rookie minicamp. This provides him with a chance to try out in front of KC's coaching staff and hopefully impress them enough to earn a spot on the preseason roster.
The Chiefs surely have some idea of what DeLaurent is capable of, considering he played at nearby Southeast Missouri State for three seasons. His 2024 campaign is what showed NFL potential, as he racked up his first 4,000-yard passing performance to go along with a career-high 33 touchdowns.
Previous QBs have received legitimate chances in the pros off of less, so it's not a total knock that DeLaurent was a bit of a late bloomer. He also boasts incredible size at 6-foot-5 and 229 pounds, which is sure to have any team salivating.
That being said, he'll need to improve on his decision-making if he's going to make the most of this chance. He had a concerning 15 interceptions last season at SEMO during his breakout, and that was against FCS competition.
Regardless, DeLaurent is an intriguing prospect to gather some extra intel on after the draft. Oladokun only attempted his first NFL pass last season, and Zappe's thrown more INTs (14) than TDs (12) during his career to this point, so there's a clear opportunity at QB3 for anyone hungry enough to seize it.